Freaktana A Major Disappointment

PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Janis One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

malmborgimplano-92-599820 I get the impression from the IMDb listing that this was originally shown in five one-hour episodes, but for some reason the DVD version I watched was edited into two continuous two-and-a-half hour sections. Since IMDb also indicated that Capaldi's character doesn't show up until the second half (actually he doesn't make his entrance until about the final quarter) I expected to sample the first few minutes of the first DVD, then ditch it and fast-forward through the second to Capaldi's scenes. But I had to see at least a little of Brian Blessed's performance first. You don't just skip over Brian Blessed. And there were so many other very good performances, starting right out with John Sessions' on-site narration as Henry Fielding. And then my beloved Ron Cook showed up, and Sylvester McCoy, and I was marveling over Max Beesley's uncanny resemblance to Ewan McGregor, and I was enjoying it so much that I ended up staying up to watch the whole thing in one long Sunday night sitting. Maybe it's just the presence of Sylvester McCoy but I haven't had so much fun watching a very long series of films whose genre and thematic content I had absolutely no interest in since "The Hobbit" trilogy.An interesting thing happens when Capaldi's character Lord Fellamar makes his entrance leering at Tom Jones' beloved Sophy. The story line shifts into an homage to Christopher Hampton's "Les Liaisons Dangereuses," with Lindsay Duncan reprising the role she created as the Marquise de Merteuil from the celebrated original stage production, and Capaldi, who played a supporting role in the equally celebrated film version, steps into the role of Valmont, conspiring with her to use sex as a weapon against Sophy and Tom. Duncan is an actress to reckon with, and my first thought on seeing Capaldi playing alongside her and seeing where it was going was "Oh, boy, I don't know if he's up to this," but one thing I'm learning about Capaldi is he's ALWAYS up to it.Capaldi has been called on frequently to play sex clowns ever since his character in "Local Hero" made love to Jenny Seagrove's webbed toes. With his dead white makeup and blood red lips Lord Fellamar is an evil sex clown, actually a comic rapist, whom Capaldi tackles with his usual combination of daredevil bravado and artistic restraint. Brian Blessed has said that while filming one of the brawls his character and Capaldi's engage in he accidentally injured Capaldi, who had to go to the emergency room in full makeup and was treated rottenly by staff who thought he was in drag. I hope this is just one of those entertaining actor's stories.

httpmom Recently rented this in DVD format. I look forward to anything produced by the BBC and this was no exception. Not having read the book, I don't know if this was a non-conventional take or a realistic adaptation of a classic. At any rate, after watching the mini-series I am encouraged to read the book! The humor in the story reminds me of Elizabeth Gaskell, another English writer I admire. Whatever the case, I think this is TV worth watching.The casting of the characters was very good except for the lead roll. I believe the character playing Tom Jones (Max Beasley) should have been a lot more physically attractive to make the story work. He was terrific at portraying naive, which is needed for the story but way to childlike to come across as a women's man which was equally important to the plot. Having said that, the other characters were wonderfully cast. Samantha Morton was very convincing as a young woman in love while betrothed to another and her father played by Brian Blessed was so powerful and funny that sometimes I felt like I was watching a Shakespearian comedy. Benjamin Whitrow was a delight as Tom's guardian and the straight man to the foolishness of most the other characters, including my favorite, Kathy Burke as the hilarious maid to our star crossed heroine. Her facial expressions alone were worth the price of admission! This is not a spoiler, but there is a scene in which Kathy Burke as woman servant, Honor sums up a rival maid at an inn that can only be classed as brilliant. And lastly, James D'Arcy, general evil doer was understated but very believable as Tom's arc rival. This may be an actor with future potential.The remaining cast is wonderfully successful as well. It's a six hour performance with a huge cast and all were very skilled at carrying an audience to a previous time in history for this fun little tragic/comedy/farce/drama.And oh yes...the costumes and sets were wonderful! As was the music.Worthy of a rent from your favorite DVD store.

philip-1 This mini-series produced by the BBC and A & E has got to be one of the finest things television has given us. It ranks with I Claudius and Elizabeth R as great dramatic art. Full of wit, great storytelling, and wonderful acting, this version of Henry Fielding's classic tale gives the Albert Finney movie from the 60's a run for it's money and emerges triumphant.Firstly, the adaptation is masterful. Having Fielding himself narrate the story (delightfully played by John Sessions) was a stroke of genius. It has the advantage of presenting this boistrous tale in much more detail than the previous movie. Fielding's characters are so rich (much like Dickens) thatyou don't mind spending alot of the time with them. Characters like Allworthy, Partridge, Thwackum and Square are comparative non-entities in the Tony Richardson movie. Here they emerge as sharp etched portraits that give the story so much more substance. In addition, the 1963 movie had to leave out large chunks of the story to tell it in under three hours. Additionally, Richardson's screenwriter John Osborne changed many details of the story to account for cutting out so many characters. Simon Burke and his collaboators on this project stick to Fielding with great results.The direction by Metin Hüseyin is simply wonderful. He tells us the story and relishes every moment. The mini-series is cast with a splendid ensemble of actors. The great Brian Blessed has a field day with the boorish Squire Western. Frances de la Tour as his prune faced sister doesn't erase memories of Dame Edith Evans from the movie version, but she is very convincing nonetheless. James D'Arcy's Mr. Blifil is a brilliant, consistant job of careful, understated, contrived villainy. And Lindsy Duncan is a revelation as the evil Lady Balleston. Joan Greenwood is not nearly slimey enough in the movie version. Duncan manages to outdo Glenn Closes's sensual depravity in Dangerous Liaisons.Max Beesley doesn't mug his way through the role like Albert Finney did. He plays Tom as more of the Candide-like innocent and is all the more attractive and sympathetic because of it. Samantha Morton's Sophia is simply unbelievable. She has a wide emotional range throughout the story and plays each moment to near perfection. She also exudes more capricious youthfulness than did Susannah York in the movie. The large supporting cast is excellent; not a weak performance among them.I must also mention the delightful musical score by Jim Parker that adds to the movie's entertaining virtues.Yes, the Tony Richardson won't Best Picture at the Oscars. But frankly, it's looking very dated these days. To be sure, it has it's wonderful moments, but it is far superceded by the newer effort.So thank God for the BBC and A & E who continue to bring us classics like this in versions far more lucid than Hollywood could muster. Don't be swayed by Julie on the title page. This is a clear winner!

Cara-8 The BBC and A&E have done it again. TOM JONES is intricate, daring, surprising, funny, and has more fresh air than one might expect of a literary adaptation. Brian Blessed is a revelation as Squire Western, looking more like a Hogarth caricature than seems humanly possible. The rest of the cast are energetic and well-suited to their roles, and the result, at five hours, will surprise many who only know the rascal Tom Jones from the Albert Finney film... There's a lot that that short movie left out, and it will at times remind you of Dangerous Liaisons...which of course was written later... Anyone want to bet that Choderlos de Laclos read Fielding?